Holistic approach in responding to clients issues is fundamental in ensuring that one can help the client solve issues in a comprehensive manner. This paper seeks to summarise the holistic response to client issues.
The Client/Worker Relationship
This relationship starts with communication. Workers should be warm and genuine towards clients. It is advisable to set clear worker/client boundaries while at the same time maintaining high levels of trust and confidence. Paraphrasing, reflecting, confronting, interpreting, and use of body language are all important methods of enhancing communication.
A holistic approach entails looking at the client from a 360-degree perspective, right from the social to the economic and down to the political dimensions.
This necessitates the use of different agencies in solving the different issues that may arise. Identifying any instabilities/discrepancies that may indicate the possibility of occurrence of risks either to the client or to other persons that the client may come to contact with is equally important (Respond Holistically to Client Issues, 2013).
Also, the worker should carefully observe and assess the client. It is only through doing this that the worker will be able to accurately assist the client in solving his/her issues. The worker should map out his or her roles, give the client enough time to give information, and listen to the client attentively. The client’s privacy and confidentiality must never be compromised.
The intervention comes after the assessment. It could either be statutory or voluntary. In Queensland, for example, it is statutory that all cases involving the harm of children and young people are forwarded to the department of child safety (Respond Holistically to Client Issues, 2013).
Determine the Course of Action to Be Followed
It starts with empowering and encouraging the client to take part in the planning process by developing a client action plan. It is imperative for the worker to remember that interrogation is a continual process that starts before gathering the information about the client’s situation and goes on even after gathering this information.
About this, any potential conflicts during the process must be dealt with as soon as they are identified to ensure that they don’t interfere with the set goals. Assessing risk and risk indicators is of utmost importance, and so is prioritizing risk.
The setting of personal goals comes next, and it is a process in which the client must be involved. This also involves identifying any possible consequences that are likely to arise from these choices and planning for them (Respond Holistically to Client Issues, 2013).
Procedures, legalities, and duty of care obligations must always be followed while carrying out all these activities. These include the rights of the client, codes of ethics, as well as any legislative requirements. Sometimes the worker may be necessitated to refer the client to other service providers. This should be in line with official protocols, policies, and procedures.
The worker may also need to carry out a brief intervention on the client. This is beneficial when the client is faced by multiple problems and is helpful in minimizing the risk associated with these multiple problems and in supporting the client during the inter-agency period. In long term worker/client relationships, the use of specialist support services to help you deal with situations that are beyond your area of expertise is advisable.
Finally, it is critical to provide the client with as much information as possible to enable the client to make fully informed decisions. Children and young people must be kept informed and must be engaged in decision making. However, the same cannot be said for the parents as in some cases; they may be excluded from the decision making the process for varying and different reasons (Respond Holistically to Client Issues, 2013).
Reference
Respond Holistically to Client Issues. (2013). Web.